Modernizing B2B Customer Experience: Lessons from Equipment Rental and Industrial Sectors

In traditionally offline industries like equipment rental and industrial distribution, the digital revolution is no longer a distant ambition—it’s a business imperative. B2B organizations are under increasing pressure to deliver seamless, data-driven, and omnichannel experiences that rival those of leading B2C brands. At Publicis Sapient, we help B2B leaders modernize their customer and employee experiences, transforming legacy systems into integrated digital platforms that drive measurable business impact.

The Imperative for Change in B2B

For decades, equipment rental specialists and industrial distributors relied on manual processes, fragmented systems, and in-person sales to serve their customers. However, as customer expectations evolve and digital-native competitors emerge, these organizations face new challenges:

• Broken digital journeys that cause funnel leakage and lost revenue
• Limited self-service options that increase pressure on sales and support teams
• Siloed data that hinders real-time insights and proactive service
• Legacy platforms that slow innovation and operational agility

To remain competitive, B2B organizations must reimagine their digital ecosystems—enabling customers to research, reserve, and manage orders online, while empowering employees with tools and data to deliver exceptional service.

Transforming the Equipment Rental Experience

One of the world’s largest equipment rental companies partnered with Publicis Sapient to set a new standard for digital customer experience in their sector. Their goal: to create an intelligent, scalable e-commerce platform that would drive business growth and operational efficiency.

Key Initiatives:

• Integrated Omnichannel Experience: We implemented a dynamic, component-driven architecture using Adobe Experience Cloud and Adobe Commerce, enabling seamless transitions between online and offline touchpoints.
• Personalization and Self-Service: The new platform delivers tailored experiences and robust self-service capabilities, reducing reliance on sales reps for routine transactions.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: By measuring site performance and user behavior, the company can now make informed decisions to optimize the customer journey and drive continuous improvement.
• Automation and Security: A hybrid Adobe Cloud and Azure solution ensures complete automation, robust security, and high performance.

Measurable Impact:

• Significant increase in user search activity and product views within two months of launch
• Reduction in funnel leakage and increase in average order value
• Channel shift from offline to online reservations, freeing sales teams to focus on growth and relationship-building
• Enhanced reputation as an innovator in the B2B rental space

Modernizing Industrial and Distribution Ecosystems

The transformation journey extends beyond equipment rental. In the industrial and value-added services sector, Publicis Sapient helped a global provider modernize their digital ecosystem to connect customers, sales reps, and operations in real time.

Highlights:

• Salesforce and AWS Integration: By integrating Salesforce Experience, Sales, and Custom Cloud with AWS and other third-party systems, we enabled real-time data insights and seamless digital experiences.
• Mobile Enablement: Sales representatives now use a mobile app to plan and manage delivery routes, increasing efficiency and responsiveness.
• Unified Communication: Consolidated channels for service reps and customers have accelerated response times and improved satisfaction.
• Operational Efficiency: Modernized internal processes have reduced redundancy and enabled smarter, faster product sales.

Business Outcomes:

• Proactive relationship management and increased revenue
• New customer acquisition and larger ROI
• Sustained leadership in a competitive global market

The Publicis Sapient Approach: SPEED and Strategic Partnerships

Our success in B2B transformation is rooted in our SPEED framework—Strategy, Product, Experience, Engineering, and Data & AI. We combine these capabilities with deep partnerships with technology leaders like AWS, Adobe, and Microsoft to deliver:

• Cloud-native architectures for agility and scalability
• Composable commerce solutions tailored to B2B needs
• Advanced data management for a 360° customer view
• AI-driven insights to personalize experiences and automate workflows

Why Modernize Now?

B2B organizations that embrace digital transformation are seeing tangible results:

• Increased online engagement and conversion rates
• Reduced operational costs and improved efficiency
• Enhanced employee productivity and satisfaction
• Greater agility to respond to market changes and customer needs

Ready to Lead the Future of B2B?

The shift from legacy to modern, integrated digital platforms is redefining what’s possible in equipment rental and industrial distribution. By partnering with Publicis Sapient, B2B leaders can unlock new revenue streams, strengthen customer relationships, and set new standards for their industries.

Connect with our experts to discover how we can help you modernize your B2B customer and employee experiences—driving measurable impact and sustainable growth in a digital-first world.